Weaver, Goldsmith Renew Funding Feud

October 06, 1992|by MATT ASSAD, The Morning Call

Just when it appeared the feud had subsided between Easton Councilwoman Carol J. Weaver and Mayor Thomas F. Goldsmith over how $922,000 in federal grant money should be spent, the two are again jousting over whether local agencies were given an even shot at their share.

This time the shots are being fired by Weaver, who is charging that Goldsmith filed improper legal notices and sent misleading letters that kept several local agencies from testifying at the public hearings Sept. 22, Weaver said.

Weaver said yesterday she will hold her own hearings for the agencies that missed the Sept. 22 hearing to testify why they need the Community Development Block Grant money.

"Many agencies that normally testify did not get a chance this year because the administration's packets to them were misleading," Weaver said. "It was never made clear to them when they were to testify."

Among those that missed the hearings were Easton Area Public Library, ProJeCT of Easton, Easton Emergency Squad, Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of the Lehigh Valley Inc. and the Easton Housing Authority.

"We advertised the hearings and sent the advertisement to each of the agencies. I don't see how we can make it any clearer than that," Goldsmith said. "Councilwoman Weaver is being a disruptive influence, and it's intentional."

A legal notice outlining the CDBG process was placed Sept. 3 in the newspaper and a copy of the advertisements were sent to all agencies requesting part of the grant.

Weaver argues that while the ads specified the Sept. 22 meeting for "obtaining the views of citizens and reviewing the submitted requests," it did not specifically tell the agencies they were to testify that night. As a result she said, six of 14 agencies requesting funds did not show for the hearings.

For months Goldsmith has argued that Weaver's citizens group, the Community Development Subcommittee (CDS), should not have a part in making the decision about how the CDBG money should be spent, saying the city should not have to compete for its own money. However, Weaver fought to keep the CDS alive. Last month a compromise was reached whereby the CDS and city council would jointly hold hearings Sept. 22 to take testimony from anyone requesting a portion of the money. Goldsmith and the CDS would then make separate budgets of how the money should be spent and submit them to council. Council would then devise a final CDBG budget based on the written requests for funds, the testimony and the two budgets.

Weaver alleges that Goldsmith tried to undermine the process by not properly notifying the agencies of the hearing. Since the CDS was scheduled to meet today at 7 p.m. to set its budget , it will take more testimony tonight, Weaver said.

"If we have to make a budget we need to hear everyone's testimony," Weaver said.

Goldsmith said the CDS hearings are not part of the process outlined in the compromise reached last month, but added that Weaver's subcommittee is free to hold them.

"The problem is all this is confusing people," Goldsmith said. "They think by testifying in front of CDS is the same as testifying in front of council and it's not."

The budgets from the mayor and the CDS must be presented to council before Oct. 27.